I've always wondered what are the risks and costs, I've heard they are not cheap. That is the truth. If you've ever wondered how Google can do without ads or offer their apps for free.

A friend of a client that I talked to said that they pay around $1000 a day to Google, on top of their cost of the in house geeks that keep track of their status, to make sure that all of the possible keywords put them at the top.

It was the proverbial crap my pants.

Remember, this is one company, with one slightly unique West Coast niche that I can't say. 365 days x $1000 x all the other possibilities. If you don't have a niche the cost is more for more common top hits.

Clarified butters.

I think my company spends $50,000-$75,000 a year with Google. And I am constantly refining keywords, etc. to make sure we stay on top. Our industry (CNC machines) is a little cheaper to do that with because of the niche market we are in but I imagine large companies spend millions to stay on top. Nice racket Google has there for sure.

Yeah they do, heck of a racket. It floored me when I found out the cost.

Yikes! Seems it would be cheaper to hire a good salesman or two to target the niche audience.